A Spar to Remember
---- Quietly moving through the bustling streets of Crocus was a somewhat odd individual, wearing a black cloak with his face being covered by the black hood over his head, that seemed to be searching for a specific place. Occasionally, he would glance at a small piece of paper in his hand that had some scribbled words written on it. Numerous people who walked by him all couldn't help but stare at his rather suspicious appearance that wasn't a common sight for those that lived in this area but minded their own business whenever the man would take notice and turn their direction. A tired sigh escaped the man's mouth as he had gotten used to the treatment by now. "This is all that damned council's fault. If those pests would just leave me alone, I wouldn't have to hide my face in public like this. That lunatic Sophia isn't helping this either, what with trying to chase me down for several hours. Anyway, where is this gym that Lindsey told me about? Her directions are simple enough and yet I still can't find it..." Ludius Grande Di Tetsuya, the infamous guild master of the independent guild Dawn Horizon had been on the run once again from the Magic Council, who always seemed to have extra time on their hands to track him down. After he had escaped and blended in with the crowd, his focus had been turned towards finding the supposed owner of a gym located somewhere in Crocus that Lindsey, one of his guild mates and information broker, had told him about. The rumor surrounding this gym owner, who was supposed to be quite a skillful combatant, was enough to spur Tetsuya's desire to recruit more powerful mages into his guild ablaze and he set out on this needlessly long journey across Crocus to find her. The chase hadn't been easy but he had finally narrowed down the general location by asking, albeit discretely, anyone who he saw in the area. Tetsuya's vision wandered across the street he was in, eyes narrowing when he came across a building that fit the description of what one could a "gym". He even noticed that a few people entering and leaving the building were wearing sportswear and towels that were wrapped around their necks. The corners of Tetsuya's mouth formed into a small grin at having found the place he was looking for. "Bingo." He crumpled the piece of paper that he was holding onto, tossing it away into some dark alley before making his way towards the entrance of the gym. It looked normal enough and gave off a welcoming and cheerful vibe that Tetsuya responded to as he let himself in, assuming that the place was the kind where anyone could just walk into freely. Since he believed he wouldn't have to worry about being discovered by any potential council members, Tetsuya released the hood over his face and ruffled his wavy black hair, the attention of a few members of the gym, particularly the girls, now being drawn towards the young guild master. "Now, I wonder which one of them is the owner..." Tetsuya murmured, ignoring the curious gazes sent his way as he surveyed around the gym to seek out the target he had been itching to meet. Jazz stood in the center of her gym, in a boxing style ring. Her fists were raised, donned in her typical athletic attire, as there was a brief lapse in the chaos that was her current spar. Her opponent was Mala Emafenti, Wizard Saint and liaison of Ledua. Suddenly they began to move again. Jazz moving in for an uppercut before it was blocked, followed up by a knee to the gut. She took the blow, staggering back a step- broad smile still resting in her face. Then it was cacophony, and the patrons working the equipment turned to stare. Their blows were even, matching each other in a fast-paced form with no clear victor. A minute minute. Then two. Then, Mala ducked low, sweeping Jazz off her feet and to the ground. But Jazz hadn't gone alone. They both fell, bodies pressed together. Jazz laughed shakily through shared heavy breaths, a faint flush on her cheeks. "You really do sweep me off my feet." Mala's laugh was deep and of pure amusement, "I think that's yet another win." They were both smiling, looking at each other with pure adoration and respect until a sharp two-toned vocal whistle cut through the moment. Jazz recognizes the sound instantly, sliding from underneath Mala as the two stood. She directed her attention to Kevin Oreki, who in his usual way was staring at her as if she'd killed his puppy. It was only natural of him. She raised an eyebrow, asking him a silent question. His response was in action, pointing at a cloaked man who has walked through the door. Jazz looked for a moment before turning back to Kevin with a nod. Jazz fluidly climbed out of the ring in one step, grabbing a bottle of water from the ground near her, waving goodbye to Mala who was leaving through the back like she usually did. She drank her water while she walking to the entrance, standing in front of the taller man. "Hey, my name's Jazz, is there anything I can do for you?" She said, introducing herself casually. Having been approached by this unfamiliar woman and nobody else, Tetsuya's gut feeling told him that she could potentially be the owner of the gym that he had been searching for. He silently observed her from top to bottom, noting that she had a unique charm about her and a rather impressive figure for a woman as she clearly took her fitness seriously judging by her toned and slim build that was highlighted by her outfit. Her casual approach towards him made him feel oddly comfortable as he was far too used to being treated like some sort of display case whenever he was seen in public. Tetsuya responded to Jazz's welcome with a charming smile as he introduced himself. "I'm Tetsuya, its a pleasure to meet you, Jazz. Actually, there is something that I'd like you to help me with if you can. You see, I'm actually looking for the owner of this institute. Would you perhaps know where I could find them?" Her smile was bright and effortless as she laughed at his words, "You didn't read the sign?" She asked, "My name is right on it. This is my gym, what do you need?" "Oh is that right? I must have missed it" Tetsuya chuckled himself, a bright smile still plastered on his face as a welsh of excitement rose from within him. Looks like his gut feeling was right. "So you're the owner huh? Perfect, I've been searching for you for quite some time. You see, I'm currently on the lookout for individuals who catch my eye and I've heard of your reputation as a capable fighter" In typical fashion for Tetsuya, he stepped a bit closer to Jazz as his bad habit of not respecting personal space and his instincts for sensing strong fighters was beginning to take shape in his actions. "How would you say to a friendly sparring match? I'd like to see your moves up close if that's alright with you." She didn't flinch as he got closer to her, even leaning a hair inward, eyes gleaming in excitement, "That's some sort of challenge. I like challenges, I don't ever turn them down. In the ring," she said, referencing to the fighting ring in the center of the main floor, "Or downstairs?" she continued, in reference to the large MCAA regulation ring designed for magic-inclusive combat. Tetsuya could feel Jazz's excitement that was similar to his own as he was impressed by the woman's confidence and lack of shyness in her response. She responded without hesitation and didn't get distracted by his looks, a good sign for Tetsuya who found that women who faced him with as much boldness and self-confidence as Jazz usually turned out to be very dangerous. "Hmm.." Tetsuya hummed, cupping his chin in thought at the two options that Jazz had presented him regarding their fight. Truthfully, it didn't really matter where they fought but since he believed that the best way to gauge a person's true ability was through seeing all they had to offer, fighting in a place with more room, as opposed to a restricted ring, was probably the wiser choice. "Downstairs sounds good, the way I fight isn't really meant to be contained in a ring. I'm curious though, is that the options you give all your challengers?" A soft grin then appeared on Tetsuya's face as he placed his hand on his hips. "Or am I a special exception?" "Nah, anyone can decide whether they'd like me to kick their ass with only my fists or while using magic as well." Jazz said, turning around and striding across the gym floor, "Kevin," She said, "Make sure things run smoothly up here. Tell Aaron to do an extra mile today and Anna to focus more on combat with you. Only let her use her feet- she needs to get her balance up." Jazz opened a door, took him down a wide staircase and into a lower floor that housed a full-sized regulation ring- plaster floor, color-coded sides and magic barriers lining the wall to protect from damage. She vaulted the rope into the ring, picking her favorite side, and waiting for Tetsuya to make his choice. Tetsuya whistled as he looked around the arena Jazz had brought him too as he noted the similarity of it to his own guild's training arena. It was just the way Tetsuya wanted it, a well constructed and spacious area to have two people duke it out with one another with no worries of going overboard. After watching Jazz step into the ring and pick which side she would fight on, Tetsuya took off the cloak and sweater he was wearing and placed them near the entrance of where they had descended from after folding the two items. He also unstrapped the black and golden katana he wore around his waist, leaving him with only his tight white shirt as he made his way over towards the arena and picked the opposite side of where Jazz was standing. "Forgive me if that confused you but I assumed the use of weaponry in this battle was prohibited. Even if it isn't, I would prefer facing you without resorting to using a weapon. Besides, I'm pretty confident that it won't make a difference in the end," Tetsuya boasted as he proceeded to do a few stretches, the dense muscles of his body being somewhat highlighted by the subtle actions. "Any rules that I should know before we start?" Jazz snorted at his arrogance. He was just like Mikhael. "Only rules are: Try not to rough up the arena and room too badly- I don't want to waste money getting them repaired, Also: You're paying for your own hospital bill." Jazz tapped her bare foot against the floor once, making constant as a pulse of her energy crossed the area in her vicinity, transforming the earth-based plaster into solid stone. "Now," She said, tilting her head to crack her neck, "Come show me how good you say you are." "Heh, that's good to hear," Tetsuya smiled as he had just finished his stretches and raised his left arm into the air, sparks of electricity surging around his hands. "If you're as skilled as you are confident, this'll definitely be a spar to remember." Aiming his raised hand towards Jazz's idle figure, Tetsuya fired off a stream of lightning that zigzagged in different directions, an attempt at throwing off his opponent who was waiting for him to make the first move. Up, down, left, right; there was no path that the lightning hadn't taken before it locked onto Jazz's location and headed straight downwards from above her. Jazz's posture shifted, one foot forward, knee bent while the opposite arm rose in a hook. , a wall of rock rose in front of her, folding in an arc in front of her, shielding her from the bolt. She moved again, pushing both hands forward as the rock obeyed her command, rushing across the arena at Tetsuya with great force. "Hoh..." Tetsuya hummed in interest as he watched his opening attack be negated rather easily, observing Jazz's art like movements as she proceeded to manipulate the earth to propel a moving rock towards him. "So you're proficient in Earth style magic, huh?" Shifting his stance, Tetsuya's body then began to crouch as he threw both his arms to the side and gathered a volume of electricity within his palms. Kicking off of the ground, Tetsuya made a b-line straight towards the incoming boulder and connected both of his arms in front of his body, piercing straight through the rock as if it was a piece of wet tissue paper. His assault didn't end there as his body continued forward with impressive speed, planning on piercing through Jazz with his electric fingers conjoined with one another. Jazz didn't answer, instead, raising her hands as her aura rapidly manifested, forming a barrier of sound energy about ten feet in front of her as a low hum resounded through the arena, blocking Tetsuya's attack. After, she moved, putting weight on her right leg before shooting off as the barrier fell. She closed the gap in an instant with Reduced Earth, appearing directly in front of Tetsuya, throwing a right hook at his sternum as her body hardened via the Harrizko spell. Having his electric thrust blocked by the unexpected barrier that was composed of sound waves, Tetsuya's eyes flickered with interest as he watched Jazz appear directly in front of him with surprising speed, aiming a well-placed right hook at his sternum. With enough time to react, Tetsuya covered both of his hands together and blocked the dagger punch, wincing a bit as the apparent strength within her toned arms were more than he expected. Still, it was nothing he couldn't handle as a wide grin spread across his face and he gripped Jazz's vulnerable forearm, hoisting her body over his shoulder as he attempted to throw her into the air. Instead of struggling or resisting his grip, Jazz pushed herself into the air, latching onto his forearm that gripped her. She let herself rotate through the air, holding tight onto him as she went over his shoulder, aiming to land on her feet while snapping his arm back with her. Recognizing what she was trying to do, Tetsuya praised Jazz's quick thinking as he conjured a substantial amount of force within his legs and planted both his feet firmly into the ground, aiming to remove the momentum of Jazz's plan to go over his shoulder with his arm. Following up, he shot a gust of wind from his free arm to propel it sideways as he attempted to elbow the falling Jazz whose body was in perfect position for Tetsuya to land an elbow strike on her hip. Jazz thrust out her own hand as he released her, meeting his gust of wind with a pulse of sound energy, the force of it separating the two as Jazz landed on her feet. Rapidly, two sets of hands made of earth appeared, shooting forwards at Tetsuya's ankles, aiming to grab them while molding themselves to the ground to trap him in place. The moment Tetsuya landed back on the ground, he jumped right back into the air off of his right foot as the two hands made of earth narrowly missed grabbing his feet. As he was airborne, Tetsuya raised both his hands into the air as a giant ball composed of electricity was conjured. Taking aim of her stationary figure, Tetsuya threw his hands forward as he launched the ball of electricity directly towards Jazz, smirking a bit when the ball split into two separate entities that took the forms of twin dragons that approached both of Jazz's left and right sides. She took the hits directly. Tetsuya had forgotten that Jazz was using the Harrizko- a defensive mechanism that had turned the outer layers of her skin to malleable stone. Stone that was non-conductive to lightning. Against her, his lightning magic spells were useless. It was then when Jazz herself let a smile rest on her face. She then released a sound wave, the unidirectional pulse of energy rattling the basement. Unable to dodge the sound wave, Tetsuya curled his body inwards as he raised both his hands in front of his torso, intent on taking the hit as the sound wave clashed directly with his body as he was flung backwards. Tetsuya then began to spin backwards as he eventually landed back on the ground, balancing on his left foot as a satisfied smile graced his face. "Very nice, your skill is a refined as your charms" Tetsuya complimented but his expression soon turned ominous as the corners of his mouth turned into a malicious grin and he raised his right hand over his face. "Since my lightning magic isn't having an effect on you..." he swiped his right hand over his face, a white and red mask with strange markings inscribed all over having now been manifested. "Let's shake things up a bit" His voice became deeper and it sounded as if another person was speaking at the same time as the two voices intertwined. Tetsuya's body then disappeared, an indication of his increased speed as he reappeared directly behind Jazz and gathered darkness magic over his left hand, shaping it into a dark claw as he thrust it forward to pierce through Jazz's lower back. Jazz blinked, whipping around as she spotted him out of her peripherals, reacting automatically as his claw of darkness met her stone-encrusted forearm. It wasn't even her own stone skin that blocked the attack- it was the enchanted athletic wrap she wore, stopping the dark claw from ripping through her. Jazz's inhale was sharp, the impact stronger than she had been expecting- however, it wasn't anything worse than what she had faced. She threw off his hand, beginning to test frequencies as she sent a fist imbued with the Sonic Glove spell towards his unguarded gut. Tetsuya's dark claw being blocked wasn't a surprise as he expected Jazz's defense to be hard to penetrate thanks to her troublesome Earth Magic. His intent on getting within such close distance was for his next move as he raised his knee to intercept the sonic imbued punch, nullifying the damage as a shroud of shadows covered his knee. With Jazz's momentum gone after having her punch stopped, Tetsuya saw an opportunity to land a hit as he pulled his arm back and thrust it forward, the punch being covered in shadows as it was aimed directly at Jazz's unguarded face. It hit her square on the right cheek, her head careening as she stumbled backward a few steps. She swung her head forward again, spots forming briefly in her vision. His strength was no joke. Jazz laughed- hearty and wholesome before she spoke for nearly the first time since they had started fighting, "That actually hurt. But," she faltered, her coaching side taking over, "A little more torque and it would've hurt a lot more without sacrificing the speed. Tell me. Where'd you learn to fight? And just how many magics have you got under your belt?" She asked. "Huh?" Tetsuya was fairly surprised at being asked such questions in the midst of a sparring session but that soon changed as an amused laugh came from Tetsuya and filled the room. "Haha, it's not every day I find someone who tries to give me advice after taking one of my hits. You're quite a peculiar woman, I think I'm beginning to like you even more. As for your other questions, if you tell me where you learned how to fight and how many different kinds magic you have, I might be in the mood to share," Tetsuya teased, awaiting Jazz's response towards his subtle attempt at probing more about her. Jazz shrugged, "I'm a trainer- it's what I do. As for me, you've seen most of my tricks. As you can tell," She gestured to her skin, "I'm not native to Fiore. I'm from Joya. I was adopted when I was a baby, grew up here, spent some time in the junior leagues of the MCAA, dabbled in things I shouldn't, ended up in rehab. Rehab didn't do much, so... I went to Joya. My birth family are nomads, I learned to fight and use Earth and Sound Magic from them. Spent a few years there. They were the ones who helped me heal. Then I came back here and started this place up. I want to help people. Build 'em up with strong roots so they never make mistakes like I did." She answered honestly. The mask that was covering Tetsuya's face began to crumble and eventually, it shattered into several small pieces that evaporated into thin air as a sympathetic expression was seen on his face. "I see, so you're not even from this country. Neither am I, or anywhere really. It must be nice, to at least have a place you can call your native homeland..." Tetsuya worded as he looked straight up at the ceiling and squinted his eyes. "I learned how to fight when I was a mercenary. Still am, but not as much, and as you probably already know, I'm a Thunder Dragon Slayer. I had a dragon slayer lacrima planted within me to gain that power. The mask that you saw on my face was an ability granted to me as a corrupted human. Your next question is probably what exactly is that, so I'm just going to tell you that its a human with demon blood in them. No idea where it came from as I can't remember my childhood well enough to know how I ended up like this..." He paused briefly, eyes now shifting back onto Jazz's figure. "You know, shouldn't we save this kind of stuff for after our match? It feels kind of weird talking about my life history with someone I just punched." He joked. She listened to his story, somewhat intrigued by his tale. "It's not the most common thing, but I try to be open with people. Now," Jazz said, "If you'd really like to talk more, I'll finish things right now. First, she exerted a low frequency, as the Disruption spell worked its magic, disrupting the vestibular system of those in Jazz's vicinity. Next, she increased the amplitude of sound waves on either side of Tetsuya, creating a vibrating coffin to crush and further disorient the man after she had caused nausea and vertigo with the Disruption spell. "What the...!?" Tetsuya found his senses being thrown out of whack as the vibration of Jazz's sound frequency had done its job of disrupting his balance as he wobbled to stay upright, eyes wincing as his vision went blurry. This was made even worse as Jazz's follow up attack was causing him extreme discomfort as he felt both sides of his body being crushed. "Damn... I've got to... do something...!" Tetsuya's body tried to react to the unfavorable situation as he attempted to cover his body in lightning and dashed forward with incredible speed as he tried to finish Jazz off quickly if only to rid himself of the vibrating sound. He stuck his palm outward, intent on piercing through Jazz but he seemed to have forgotten that Jazz's earth magic had the power to nullify his own magic, a sign that Tetsuya's mind had made a rash and unwise decision out of desperation. She didn't even need to use her magic. His attack was a panicked attempt for victory and Jazz had stayed as calm as she could through the entirety. Jazz shifted, crouching under his outstretched arm, stepping underneath it and closer to Tetsuya. She looked up, her eyes twinkling with confidence as they met his. She reached out her own hand, snapping her finger close to his ear, simultaneously amplifying the sound to a degree where it created a roaring boom- right in his ear. Under normal circumstances, Tetsuya would have usually been able to dodge or react to Jazz's impressive but not overwhelming speed but with his current mental and physical state being disrupted, Jazz's movements of dodging his strike and closing the distance while raising her fingers near his ear seemed almost untraceable. Following the finger snap that created a booming shockwave, Tetsuya' pupils went white as he felt his body go completely numb as his consciousness was fading. It was obvious that the effect of Jazz's sound magic was too much for him to handle in his current state but even so, Tetsuya's will and refusal to lose propelled him to keep himself from falling over as he slowly tried to reach for his face to don his demon mask once again, a last-ditch effort that could potentially change the momentum of the battle like it had done so before. "If I could just reach my... mask..." Tetsuya thought desperately, unaware that Jazz was literally only a few steps away from him and in perfect position to stop him from completing this action. "Hey," Jazz's voice resounded through the air as all other sounds cut out. She grabbed his arm, preventing him from continuing. "We should call it quits. You're in no shape to fight anymore. I'm surprised you're not on the ground." She pulled him towards her, stabilizing the taller man with her body. "Come on, let me get you upstairs. You don't look so good..." She said, concern lacing her voice. She was worried she went overboard. "Release me! I... I can still fight!" Tetsuya brushed Jazz's arm away as he attempted to engage in battle with her once again, a look of clear panic and desperation on his face but that soon changed as he stumbled forwards and was caught by Jazz's body as the older woman hoisted him up similar to how she had done so before. A look of frustration appeared on Tetsuya's face at realizing that the match was over and that he had indeed lost. "Shit..." Tetsuya didn't bother to struggle anymore as he closed his eyes and resigned himself to let Jazz do whatever she pleased, showing his respect to the woman who had bested him. Jazz hoisted him over her shoulder, bringing the man upstairs into the main floor where she was quickly spotted by Kevin and Anna, the only ones left in the gym after it had closed around ten minutes prior. "Gods, Jazz, did you knock him out?" Kevin snapped, gesturing to the body while Anna just stared, dumbfounded by the man's appearance and his state. "I didn't mean to! It just got a bit out of hand..." Right at that moment, the other one of the Incendi siblings entered the whirring automatic doors, panting after he had returned from an insane running route Jazz had created for him. "You made me run extr-" He began to say before he noticed the man slung over her shoulder, "Wait, did you kill a guy?" Jazz looked at him incredulously, "Go take a shower. Anna, you too, then you can come up to the apartment later. And no, he's not dead. Kevin, I might be stealing my booze back from you." There was a small complaint from the man in question before a phone call interrupted him. Jazz went upstairs, opening the door to her apartment and bringing Tetsuya to the living room, setting him down on the couch, his head propped up on one of the arms. "Can I get you anything?" She asked, "Water? Alcohol? Food? Well, that might take me a little longer..." "...All of the above..." Tetsuya spat with low energy as he looked exhausted and famished, an indication that he hadn't eaten or consumed anything in quite awhile. His gas tank was running on empty after having used a sizable amount of magic in his spar against Jazz and it certainly didn't help when he had donned his Demon Mask, a technique that may have granted him impressive magical and physical boosts, drained him of his energy at an astonishing rate. "...Need... something in my... belly" His body flopped forward on the couch as his arm dangled on the edge of the seat and his previously dignified and arrogant demeanor was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a helpless puppy dog outlook. Jazz fought back the urge to laugh. Not out of amusement but out of anxious concern for the man. "Alright, I'll see if I can make it quick." Jazz went into her kitchen, pulling a bottle of bourbon off the top shelf, filling up a large plastic cup with tap water and rummaging around in her tiny pantry. She didn't keep much snack food around, but, luckily, Aaron had been staying with her lately. She grabbed a bag of cheese puffs from the cupboard, making a mental note to replace them. Quickly, Jazz checked the fridge, taking note of what ingredients she had before going back to the living room, setting the food and drink down on the table before perching herself on the armchair beside him. "I can make something real too, it'll just take a little bit longer. What do you like?" "As long as... it's eatable... I'll consume anything" Tetsuya whimpered as he stared at the items that Jazz had brought out with a gluttonous look. He didn't care what she had brought him, as long as he could get some food in his stomach, he knew he wouldn't be feeling as drained as he was. Usually, he cooked his own meals whenever he went out but since this was Jazz's apartment, he wanted to respect her living quarters and not overstep his rights as a guest. Besides, he was very curious if Jazz was as good as a cook as she was as a fighter. Jazz smiled, "I'll make sure it's quick." She said, going back into the kitchen and pulling out the ingredients she had purchased and prepped the day before. She had been waiting to save them for when Alek came over the next day, but this was more pressing. The stovetop burst to life before a pan was placed on top of it, with a glob of butter melting under the heat. Jazz washed her hands before opening the plastic bag with marinated strips of beef. She laid them in the pan, leaving them for a moment as she emptied cold rice into a bowl, sprinkled a fair amount of water on it and stuck it in the microwave for a minute and a half. "I hope rare is okay," Jazz called in Tetsuya's general direction. After another minute she took the strips out, letting them rest while she chopped scallions, folding them into the rice with sesame oil and a splash of rice vinegar, portioning the meal out onto two plates, the one for Tetsuya noticeably larger. "Hey, do you mind coming over to the table? I've got food ready." She said again, setting the plates down on the four-person grayed wood table in her kitchen. "Ah..." Tetsuya weakly agreed as he slowly picked up all of the items that Jazz had brought before on the table and took them over to the wood table in the kitchen where he sat directly opposite of Jazz. His senses quickly returned when he smelled the intoxicating aroma of the meal that Jazz had laid before him as his mouth hung wide open at the spread. He looked straight at Jazz with a confused look. "Is this... really all for me?" She nodded, cutting into her own plate, "Yeah, I keep a lot of food around. I've got quite the crowd up here sometimes." She began to eat, silence settling for a moment before she asked, "Why'd you come to fight me anyways?" Swallowing his spit, Tetsuya proceeded to dig into his meal as the juicy meat melted in his mouth and he nearly cried tears of joy. The food was better than he could have asked for as his evaluation of Jazz had risen a few notches. A badass woman who could kick ass and prepare good food? She was definitely someone he wanted in his guild going forward. As he grabbed the cup of water and poured it down his throat, he let out a satisfied moan and grinned cheekily at Jazz. "Man, your cooking is out of this world. That really hit the spot" he placed the cup back down as he heard Jazz's inquiry of his visit as he shot her a weak smile. "I've been looking for strong people to recruit into my guild. You ever heard of Dawn Horizon? I'm the master," He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. " It's still a work in progress though, we don't have many members yet but we're growing. We'd have more if that damn Sylphon wasn't on my ass every day," Tetsuya grumbled with a sour expression. Jazz looked intrigued, thinking about it for a moment, "Yeah, Independent guild, right? You guys have been in the news lately... But that still doesn't explain why you came to me?" Tetsuya blinked at Jazz and tilted his head to the side. "Didn't I just say I was looking for strong people to join my guild? Rumors were brewing around the country that there was a skilled fighter that ran a gym near here so I thought I'd come check you out" A look of approval and admiration was then seen on Tetsuya's face. "And I've gotta say, your more capable then I imagined. You beat me fair and square so I won't complain about the result of the match... but..." He pouted a bit as his ego of always winning his fights had surely taken a hit. "...I'm sure if I had used some of my other magic, it might have turned out differently.... unless you were holding back too?" Jazz's fork scrapped against her plate as she pushed around the remaining bites of food. "Thank you for the compliment, I just, well, I never thought that I was that well known." At the mention of their fight tried to keep her comments as casual as possible, "I'm always holding back. I don't want to hurt anyone too badly you know?" "Of course," Tetsuya firmly nodded, completely understanding the older woman's disposition. "I can't remember how many times I've held back when I've tried to recruit certain people. It's ironic isn't it? I want to fight people at their best but at the same time, I can't go full out because they might get hurt..." A dark shadow loomed over Tetsuya's face as his fists clenched when he mentioned that. "The feeling of hurting someone after going full out... I don't ever want to feel that way again," Jazz reached out, putting her palms on his fists. "Hey, it is okay to make mistakes. You just need to be able to apologize and recognize them. Move on stronger and do what you can to to help those you've hurt if they accept it." She ducked her head, making sure he could see her eyes, "Don't keep everything inside, trust me, it'll cause more damage in the long run." The warmth of Jazz's hand had a soothing effect on calming Tetsuya down as he looked back into the older woman's eyes and softly smiled. "...You're right, feeling sorry for myself isn't going to change what happened. I've just gotta look past that and do my best to make sure that it doesn't happen again." It became apparent to Tetsuya that Jazz had a very motherly vibe about her that made her easy and comfortable to be around, traits in a woman that he found were ideal for those he wanted around him, like Sabrina. There was no more thinking to be done — Tetsuya knew he wanted Jazz in his guild as he used his other arm to grab Jazz's stretched out hand. "Come with me, Jazz. Dawn Horizon could use someone like you, a woman who can kick some serious ass but also understand and connect with others." A faint blush appeared on his face as he avoided Jazz's gaze towards him a bit. "I-It also doesn't hurt that you're... quite beautiful too." Not many women could get such a reaction out of Tetsuya who had his own fair share of admirers around the country. Jazz was left in stunned silence, thinking for a moment before she squeezed his hand and shook her head. "I'm sorry but I can't. My life is here and I have people depending on me. I'm happy where I am and I don't need the change." His compliment on her beauty had been unexpected, though she had kept it from showing her surprise or acknowledging it. "I'm sure you will find people to join your guild, however, I have already settled down." The rejection towards his offer hurt a bit as Tetsuya looked down at the table for a moment, but he quickly bounced back as an innocent laugh escaped from his mouth. "Haha, I understand. No, I knew you'd say something like that. Man, it's scary how similar you are to Mei. She turned me down the same way you did, though at least I won that confrontation" He joked a bit before he looked back at Jazz. "I get it, I'm sure there are many others who need your guidance and me taking you from here would be a selfish demand. Having said that..." He scratched his cheek awkwardly, a bit hesitant on having to ask something like this. "...I-If you don't mind, would you please teach me some of your fighting style? I'm pretty confident in my magic skills but I'm not the best fighter..." For Tetsuya, admitting to someone else that he still wasn't good enough wasn't easy as his pride and ego were two definitive things about him but he was willing to humble himself if it meant being able to become even stronger, under a great teacher of course. "Well," Jazz said, a beaming smile forming on her face, "I do own a gym, not just for civilians to get their exercise fix. I train people in combat and am affiliated with the MCAA, Jazz's Gym is a certified combat school. If you want to learn, I don't think there's any better place in Crocus." She boasted. "Though," She contemplated for a moment, "What type of fighting do you want to learn? Because Kevin teaches too, he's a little bit meaner, though the way he fights is quite difficult to face... and when he does the energy thing, it's a major pain." Seeing Jazz's boastful nature about her own gym caused a relaxed smile to appear on Tetsuya's face — seems she had a bit more in common with him than he originally thought. He then rested his elbows on the table. "Looks like I'll be getting a membership here then. As for what style I'd want to learn..." He paused briefly but then raised his hands in a similar sort of fashion that Jazz had done during the start of their fight. "You posed just like this, right? I'd like to learn this one as I've never seen a style like it before" He flashed a wide grin. "I like to explore the unknown and I'm a pretty fast learner. Are you sure you have enough time to teach me though? I'm sure you must have alot of people wanting to spar with you on a daily basis, like that woman I saw you hugging it out on the floor with" Tetsuya joked but frowned a bit as he cupped his chin. "I swear I've seen her somewhere before..." Jazz nodded, "Most people besides my MCAA students and a few others don't spar with me or Kevin. And the style you want to learn is Muay Boran, if you'd like, we could throw a little bit of Boxing to make it a little more unpredictable, like I did with Aaron." She said, beginning to form a plan in her mind. Then Tetsuya spoke. "Oh, you probably have, that's Mala Emafanti, Ledua's public liaison and representative on the council and the newest addition to the Ten Wizard Saints. She's been very kind to me since when this place was struggling to stand on its feet." Her eyebrows furrowed, "Is the Magic Council a major problem?" Tetsuya was more than happy to accept Jazz's suggestion of mixing in boxing as he punched his palm. "Sounds cool. I can't wait to learn it!" He continued to listen as Jazz spoke of the woman that he had seen earlier and widened his eyes. "I knew she looked familiar, of course, she was a Wizard Saint. Haha, that explains it all" He noticed Jazz furrow her eyebrows and waved his hand at her concern. "Nah, it shouldn't be an issue. My guild and I aren't on the best terms with the magic council but it's not like they have a death warrant on me. Well, maybe that damn Sophia does but she doesn't come around these parts. That Mala chick should be fine... I think. Maybe you could put in a good word for me? Haha" He joked as he stood up from the table, bowing towards Jazz. "In any case, thank you sparring with me today. I'll be in your care from now on, Jazz-sensei" Tetsuya adding -sensei to anyone's name was a form of respect he didn't show many individuals — showcasing just how much respect he had for her. "Please," She insisted, "Just call me Jazz." At that, she reached across to grab his now empty plate, stacking it on top of hers and carrying them over to the sink, beginning to get to work on the dishes. "Tetsuya, do you have somewhere to go tonight?" She asked as she began scrubbing the pan. "Jazz it is then" If Jazz didn't want Tetsuya addressing her with a formality, then who was he to argue? In the face of Jazz's question on where he would sleep tonight, Tetsuya sat back in the chair as he leaned on it and stared at the ceiling. "I haven't made any prior arrangements as I was so preoccupied with finding you. Truth be told, I really don't have a place to stay, I was just probably going to sleep in the forest or wherever I can find that's comfy, it's not my first time" Under normal circumstances, he'd usually just camp out in the wilderness as it was too risky to stay in public inn's with Sophia hot on his trail. It wasn't anything new, he'd done it multiple times before anyway. "You can crash on my couch if you want. Aaron and Anna are in the guest bedroom until they've got school housing figured out, but in my opinion, a couch and a blanket are better than the woods." She said, stacking the plates on the drying rack. "Really?" Tetsuya's face lit up with surprise at the offer, leaning forward again as he watched the back of Jazz who stacking the washed plates — the image of a caring mother taking form in front of him. "You really are.... no, never mind. Thanks alot, Jazz" Tetsuya smiled, a warm feeling spreading in his heart. While he may not have gained a new comrade for his guild, today's trip had been a pleasant experience for the young and growing guild master who had gained not only a teacher, but also a caring friend. Category:CBZ Roleplay Category:Roleplay Category:QOS Roleplay